As we stumble our way into fall, please don’t worry; steady yourself and prepare for round 2 because there are still plenty of great summer festivals left to get us through till the end! Though parents are flooding the stores for back-to-school deals and most of the college kids are returning to school, there are still plenty of opportunities to check out some of this year’s best music festivals and they are right here at home!

 

Dew Tour 2012 - Ocean City, Md. - Aug. 16-19
Notable Acts:  Lupe Fiasco, The Perfects, DallasK, Two Fresh, Wolfgang Gartner
    Dew Tour has finally officially announced their musical lineup for this year’s Pantech Beach Championships, Aug. 16-19. This is the first stop on the tour which will then travel to San Francisco, Calif. for the Toyota City Championships, Oct. 18-21; and will end in Breckenridge, Colo., for the Mountain Championships, Dec. 13-16. What started in 2005 as a season-long extreme action sports competition is slowly transforming into an all-out extreme extravaganza. There will be an array of vendor tents, quickly constructed ramps, skate bowl and a bmx park course. And this year a total of 9 musical acts are scheduled to take the stage, making this the biggest line-up in Dew Tour history - and it’s all FREE!
    That’s right, all performances are free to the general public; however, Premium Passes are also available for purchase at www.dewtour.com. (Thur. $60, Fri. $100, Sat. $100 & Sun. $100) Premium Passes feature special viewing areas for all musical performances, reserved seating or viewing areas at each competition, Dew Tour exclusive giveaways, a souvenir credential and a special gift from Dogfunk.com. So though it may look a bit pricey, all the extra goodies will add up to an ultimate experience which is priceless - right?
    The action all starts on Thur., August 16 and will kick right off with music on day 1 with a set by RAC DJ at 8:30pm. The music will pick back up Fri. night, August 17, at 9pm with up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper Theophilus London. At 10pm socially conscious rapper/producer Lupe Fiasco (who also just played to a packed crowd at the Firefly Festival in Dover, Del.on Sat., June 21) will shake the sand with his progressive dance beats.www.facebook.com/LupeFiasco.
    Sat., August 18, will feature 6 bands,  3 during the day and 3 at night. From Washington, D.C., Rites of Ashes will start things off at 3pm with their somewhat darker and harder emo-style electro-pop rock. Reminiscent of early ‘90s progressive bands like Depesche Mode and The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Perfects, from Baltimore, Md., have a trance-like sound that will pump out elctro-dance-beats at 3:45pm. Things settle down a bit with the softer sound of Indie artist Vital at 4:30pm. A pleasant blend of folk-story-like lyrics, set to an almost easy-listening mixture of intriging sounds, with piano, guitars, simple synth blends, heart-pounding drum beats and soulful heartfelt lyrics, combine to deliver an uplifting sound.
    Just as the sun goes down the night will light up with electric sounds and bass-pumping, ground-shaking dance music. First up, a new young producer/DJ/remixer from Orlando, Fla., who has taken the scene by storm, DallasK, at 8pm. Two Fresh takes the stage at 8:45pm with their twisted fresh sound; a mix of instrumental hip hop, elements of sampling and catchy synth lines. Twin brothers Kendrick and Sherwyn Nichollsan, who were signed to a label before turning 21, are the engineers behind this well structured sound; and joining them on stage is Colby Buckler, who is regarded as one of the strongest drummers in the live electronic music scene today.
    Saving the best for last: the Grammy-nominated, west coast-based DJ/Producer,  Wolfgang Gartner will perform at 9:30pm. Usually simply considered electro house music it’s probably better defined as complextro, a genre of which he is a forerunner. Complex + Electro = complextro is really a conglomeration of the heavy basslines of dubstep, electro house and fidget house. Typically the tempo is a faster 140+ BPM, and the beats may or may not be syncopated, appearing almost as a break-style. So in otherwords, it is fast, loud, bass-pumping  electro music that will keep the crowd moving through the night. www.wolfganggartner.com.
    So this year’s Dew Tour should not disappoint! With plenty for spectators to see, do and hear; and plenty of award winning athletes to make appearances, compete and entertain, this promises to be one heck of a fun weekend! In short, it should be a ground-shaking experience that will most likely be heard and felt throughout our little sand-bar of a city!

 

Sunfest - Ocean City, Md. - Sept. 20-23
Tickets: ticketmaster.com; 1-800-551-7328
Notable Acts: Sha Na Na, Lonestar, Bret Michaels
    This year Ocean City’s Sunfest celebrates its 38th year and as always will offer an array of unique art and craft creations, fabulous food and live entertainment. All this will take place under four huge big top tents that will be located in the Inlet Parking Lot at the south end of Ocean City’s famous Boardwalk.
    Things will kick off on Thur. September 20 at 8pm with the legendary group Sha Na Na. Reserved seats are priced between $15-$25. These guys were on the original Woodstock Festival lineup, starred in the movie “Grease” and even hosted the “Sha Na Na” TV series for four years. Billing themselves as "from the streets of New York" and outfitted in leather jackets and pompadour hairdos, they keep the ‘50s New York street culture alive through their renditions of popular ‘50s doo-wop hits. I am sure they will deliver a classic rock-n-roll performance that will leave us all swinging! www.shanana.com
    Fri., September 21, Lonestar will take the stage at 8pm. Reserved seats are between $20-$45. Known for merging country with strong melodies and rich vocals, Lonestar had plenty of success on the Country charts but in 1995 they had a crossover smash wth "Amazed", topping both counrty and rock charts; and in 1999 won ACM Single of The Year and Song of the Year. Lonestar also took home Vocal Group of the Year at the 2001 CMA awards. So ladies, if lead singer Richie McDonald dosen’t melt you with those baby blue eyes, surely the sound of his passionate serenades will! www.lonestarnow.com
    Last, but certainly not least, Sat., September 22 at 8pm, Bret Michaels will perform. Reserved seats are between $25-$55. Bret Michaels is probably best known for being the frontman of ‘80s hair-band Poison; however, he has had equal sucess in his solo career which didn’t start ‘til 2010, nearly 30 years later. His most recent solo album, Custom Built, released in July of 2010, topped the charts, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock list. Bret Michaels is also an entrepreneur, a TV star, a father, the face of the American Diabetes Association (he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of six) and has been a generous donor to an assortment of charitable causes. He sounds like a pretty great guy, really, and we can’t wait to rock out with him here in Ocean City! www.bretmichaels.com
    Always a great way to end our summer season here in Ocean City! Sunfest always delivers fun, food and entertainment with a little bit of something for everyone. See you all there!

 

Uptown Beach Bash - Ocean City, MD - Aug. 24-26
Notable Acts: Mary Lou & The Untouchables

     Ocean City celebrates its first Uptown Beach Bash beginning with a Kick Off Bay Party and Paddleboard Regatta at BJ’s on the Water at 1pm. Saturday, girls of all ages will participate in the quest to break a Guinness World Record with the Ocean City Bikini Parade, beginnning at the Princess Royale at 91st St. at 1pm and finishing at the Carousel Hotel at 118th St. The first 450 participants will receive a free Beach Bag. uptownbeachbash.com Proceeds will benefit Diakonia, Surf Rider Foundation and Relay For Life. A Luau & Bikini Parade Party will be held at the Blue Ox at 127th St., 7pm.
    The weekend culminates in Local Palooza at Northside Park from noon ‘til 9 pm. Brad Hoffman presents an all-day festival for the whole family, with Monster BMX professional team riders on hand to perform and sign autographs, and more for the kids. Local artists will display their works in the Ocean Arts Show.
    Music will fill the air all day with a collection of Ocean City’s local bands. Taking the stage at 1pm will be Hot Sauce Sandwich followed by Monkee Paw, Bryan Russo Duo, Aaron Howell Band, Blake Haley, Fiction Down 20 (reggae/rock), Full Circle, Electric Company and finishing with the annual performance by Mary Lou & The Untouchables, who has closed the Northside Park Summer Sunday concert series for many years. Music fans and musicians, too, will all have a blast at the Uptown Beach Bash & Local Palooza.